美国的离婚问题America's Divorce Problem

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1、America'sDivorceProblemOnAugust15,1997,Louisianamadeanhistoricchangeinitsdomesticrelationslawsbyenactingthenation'sfirst"covenantmarriage"bill.FollowingLouisiana'slead,ArizonaenactedsimilarlegislationinMay1998andothercovenantmarriage(CM)billsarenowunderconsiderationinatleasttwentyadditionalstat

2、es.Itthusappearsthatweareonthefrontendofacovenantmarriage"boom"thatcouldsoonsweepacrossthenation.Hereweconsiderjustwhatcovenantmarriageisandwhyitisaconceptwhosetimeappearstohavecome.Wealsotakeupandrespondtothemostcommonobjectionsorreservationsthatpeoplehaveexpressedaboutit.Whatis"CovenantMarria

3、ge?"CoupleswishingtomarryinLouisianaarenowrequiredtochoosebetweentwomarriageregimes:thestandardmarriagewithvirtuallyunrestrictedaccesstono-faultdivorceoracovenantmarriagedesignedtobesomewhatharderbothtoenterandtoexit.Thecovenantoptionspecificallyacknowledgesthatmarriageisalifelongcommitmentandd

4、iffersfromconventionalMarriageinanumberofadditionalways:Covenantmarriagerequirespremaritalcounseling.Counselingmustincludediscussionsoftheseriousnessofmarriage,thelifelongcommitmentbeingmadebythecoupletotheirmarriage,theobligationtoseekmaritalcounselingifproblemsariselaterinthemarriage,andtheex

5、clusivegroundsfordivorceorlegalseparationinacovenantmarriage.Couplesmustsignanaffidavitacknowledgingtheircommitmentandprovethattheyhavereceivedcounselingontheseissues.Likewise,divorcefromacovenantmarriagerequiresthecoupletohavesoughtmarriagecounselingandtohavemadeagood-faithefforttoresolvetheir

6、differences.Althoughano-faultdivorceisstillpossibleforcovenantmarriages,thenewlawrequiresthatthecoupleliveseparateandapartfortwoyears(vs.sixmonthsunderthecurrentmarriageregime)orbelegallyseparatedforeighteenmonths.Dissolvingacovenantmarriageinlessthantwoyearsrequiresonepersontoprovefaultonthepa

7、rtoftheother.Acceptable"faults"arethetraditionalones:felonyconviction,abuse,abandonment,oradultery.Irreconcilabledifferences,generalincompatibility,irretrievablebreakdownofthemarriage,or"wejustdon'tgetalonganymore"arenotacceptable